When Arnold Schwarzenegger said it was 'all out war' in the 80s between him, buddy Sylvester Stallone

IANS April 8, 2025 395 views

Arnold Schwarzenegger candidly revealed the intense competition he shared with Sylvester Stallone during the 1980s action movie era. Their rivalry was multi-dimensional, spanning muscle definition, box office success, and creative on-screen kills. Today, the two Hollywood icons have transformed their competitive relationship into a deep mutual respect and friendship. Their journey from rivals to friends represents a remarkable Hollywood narrative of professional evolution and personal growth.

"It was all about who is making bigger movies, who has more definition in their muscles" - Arnold Schwarzenegger
When Arnold Schwarzenegger said it was 'all out war' in the 80s between him, buddy Sylvester Stallone
Los Angeles, April 8: Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger has given some of the best action movies in Hollywood during the 1980s. However, the onus of action movies was not solely on him. The actor found another counterpart, as feisty as him in Sylvester Stallone.

Key Points

1

Arnold and Stallone engaged in intense action movie rivalry during 1980s

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Competition centered on box office success and muscular physiques

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Now close friends who celebrate each other's achievements

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Transformed from competitors to mutual admirers

The two men are responsible for making memorable action films for an entire generation. Both the actors are great friends today, and show adulation to each other through social media. However, it was not the same earlier. Arnold Schwarzenegger once told Jimmy Kimmel on the latter's show that in the 80s it was an all out war between him and Sylvester Stallone.

He said, “In the 80s, he was just a rival. It was just a competition. It was all about who is making bigger movies, who has more definition in their muscles, who has more box-office success, who kills more people, who kills people more creatively, who has bigger knives, who has bigger guns?”.

He further mentioned, “In the end, I started running around with machine guns that were only used for helicopters, mounted on helicopters or on tanks. It was crazy. It was all out war”.

Last year, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is the former governor of California, had shared a thoughtful Instagram post in honour of his friend Sylvester Stallone’s 78th birthday, featuring a few images of the pair throughout the years.

He wrote in the caption, “Happy birthday my friend, @officialslystallone. You are a champion and a legend. You inspire me and billions of people around the world”.

As per ‘People’, the ‘Terminator’ star included snaps of himself and Stallone carving pumpkins together, smiling at a Planet Hollywood event back in the day and posing in some very '80s outfits.

"The greatest standing side by side with the greatest”, TV host Marcos Mion commented under the photos.

Reader Comments

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Mike T.
The 80s action movie rivalry was legendary! These two pushed each other to make crazier and crazier films. Who didn't love seeing who could out-muscle who? 😂
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Sarah J.
While I love their friendship now, I do think the article glosses over how their hyper-competitive phase might have contributed to some problematic portrayals of masculinity in 80s cinema.
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Dave R.
"Who kills more creatively" 😂 Arnold always had the best one-liners. These guys defined my childhood - Rocky vs Terminator debates were serious business on the playground!
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Lisa P.
Their friendship glow-up is so wholesome! From rivals to pumpkin-carving buddies. Shows how maturity can turn competition into mutual respect.
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Tom K.
That helicopter machine gun comment killed me! These guys took action movies to such ridiculous extremes and we loved every minute of it. Bring back practical effects and real muscles!
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Amira S.
The 80s fashion pics must be amazing! These two icons shaped action cinema forever. Their evolution from competitors to friends is such a great story arc - almost like one of their movies!

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